Mortgage down payment in Poland 2026: 10% or 20%, where to get it and what if you are short
Author: Tacjana MasiukiewiczMortgages~8 min read
The mortgage down payment in Poland (wkład własny) is the part of the apartment price you cover with your own money – the bank finances the rest. Its size decides whether you get a mortgage at all and how much it will cost you. We explain when 10% is enough and when the bank requires 20%, how much that is in PLN at typical apartment prices, and where you can legally get the missing money.
Key facts
- Recommendation S of the KNF (Polish Financial Supervision Authority) advises that a loan should not exceed 80% of the value of the property (LTV), so as standard you need a 20% down payment.
- A 10% down payment is possible if the missing part (above 80% LTV) is additionally secured – for example with low down payment insurance.
- Under the family housing loan (rodzinny kredyt mieszkaniowy), a BGK guarantee can replace the missing down payment (up to 20% of the costs, max. PLN 100,000); banks can grant these loans until the end of 2030.
- People under 45 can withdraw up to 100% of their PPK savings for the down payment – and pay them back within 15 years.
- A gift from your closest family is tax-free if you report it to the tax office within 6 months.
Down payment: 10% or 20%?
The LTV (loan-to-value) ratio is the loan amount relative to the value of the property. Under recommendation 15.5 of Recommendation S, LTV on the day the loan is granted should not exceed 80%. It may reach 90% if the part of the loan above 80% LTV is properly secured – with insurance, a deposit freeze or a pledge on Treasury bonds, an assignment of funds to the bank, or funds from an IKE or IKZE (Polish individual retirement accounts).
In practice, this means:
- with a 20% down payment you get the standard offer,
- with a 10–19% down payment the bank usually requires low down payment insurance or raises the margin until part of the loan is repaid – an extra cost worth asking about when you compare offers,
- below 10%, a loan is in principle only possible with a BGK guarantee under the family housing loan.
The bank sets the value of the property based on a valuation. If the valuation comes out lower than the price in the agreement, a down payment calculated on that value may turn out to be too small.
How much is that in PLN?
| Apartment price | 10% down payment | 20% down payment |
|---|---|---|
| PLN 500,000 | PLN 50,000 | PLN 100,000 |
| PLN 700,000 | PLN 70,000 | PLN 140,000 |
| PLN 900,000 | PLN 90,000 | PLN 180,000 |
| PLN 1,000,000 | PLN 100,000 | PLN 200,000 |
For reference: in our Wrocław listings, the median price of a 2-room apartment (living room + 1 bedroom) is PLN 684,000, and of a 3-room one – PLN 904,000 (as of 26 September 2026). A 20% down payment is therefore about PLN 137,000 and 181,000. Remember the transaction costs too – for an apartment priced at PLN 700,000, notary and court fees come to about PLN 3,700 at the maximum rates (see the calculation).
Where to get the down payment
Savings and a housing savings account
The simplest source is your own savings. If you plan to buy in a few years, you can consider a housing savings account (konto mieszkaniowe) – an account with a housing bonus paid from the state budget. From 1 January 2026, the age limit of 45 for opening a housing savings account was abolished, and the minimum monthly deposit is PLN 300.
Funds from PPK
The Act on employee capital plans (PPK – pracownicze plany kapitałowe, Article 98) allows you to withdraw up to 100% of the funds saved in PPK to cover the down payment. The conditions:
- you cannot make the withdrawal if you are 45 or older on the day you submit the application,
- the money must be paid back in its nominal amount – repayment must start no later than 5 years after the withdrawal and end no later than 15 years after it,
- the withdrawal is made under an agreement with the financial institution that runs your PPK – when you buy an apartment, the money goes directly to the seller's account.
A gift from family
A gift from your closest family – spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, siblings, stepchild, stepfather and stepmother – is exempt from inheritance and gift tax (Article 4a of the Act). The conditions:
- you report the gift to the tax office (form SD-Z2) within 6 months,
- if cash gifts from that person – together with others from the current year and the previous 5 years – exceed PLN 36,120, the money must be paid into your bank account (or sent by postal order),
- no report is needed if the gift is made in the form of a notarial deed (akt notarialny).
The bank will usually ask for proof of where the down payment funds come from, such as the gift agreement and the transfer confirmation.
Other sources
- Selling another property – when you buy a new apartment by selling your old one. Ways to align the dates are described in How to buy a new apartment while selling your old one (in Polish).
- Funds from an IKE or IKZE – Recommendation S lists them as one of the possible forms of security for the part of the loan above 80% LTV.
What if you do not have enough for the down payment?
The only systemic option for a mortgage without a down payment at present is the family housing loan (formerly promoted as "Mieszkanie bez wkładu własnego" – "A home without a down payment"). BGK guarantees repayment of the part of the loan that corresponds to the missing down payment – up to 20% of the costs, maximum PLN 100,000. The guarantee fee is 1% of the guaranteed amount. The loan must be granted for at least 15 years, and banks can grant it until 31 December 2030. The scheme also includes a "family repayment": BGK repays PLN 20,000 of the loan after the birth of a second child and PLN 60,000 after the third and each subsequent child.
Only a few banks offer the guaranteed loan, and BGK publishes price-per-m² limits every quarter. You can check the current list and terms on the BGK website. More about the schemes in Housing schemes 2026 – what applies (in Polish).
Read also:
Frequently asked questions
Which banks in Poland offer a mortgage with a 10% down payment?
Many banks offer a loan with a 10% down payment – in line with Recommendation S, provided the part of the loan above 80% LTV is additionally secured, most often with insurance. The terms and cost of this security differ between banks, so it is worth comparing them.
Can I get a mortgage in Poland with no down payment?
Yes, under the family housing loan with a BGK guarantee, which replaces the missing down payment up to 20% of the costs (max. PLN 100,000). Outside this scheme, banks require a down payment of at least 10%.
Can I use my PPK savings for the down payment?
Yes, up to 100% of the funds, if you are under 45 on the day you submit the application. The money withdrawn must be paid back into PPK – repayment starts after 5 years at the latest and lasts no longer than 15 years from the withdrawal.
Is a gift from my parents towards an apartment taxed in Poland?
No, if the parent belongs to your closest family and you report the gift on form SD-Z2 within 6 months. For amounts above PLN 36,120 (in total over recent years), the money must be paid into your bank account.
Can the down payment come from a cash loan?
As a rule, banks do not accept this, and a cash loan reduces your borrowing capacity. The bank usually checks where the down payment funds come from.
Summary
The standard down payment is 20% of the apartment's value, and 10% is possible with additional security. You can top up the missing money from PPK or with a tax-free gift from family, or use a BGK guarantee under the family housing loan. The next steps once you have your down payment are described in our guide Mortgage in Poland step by step, and how much you can borrow – in Borrowing capacity 2026 (in Polish).
Not sure whether your down payment is enough? Book a consultation with our mortgage expert – we will compare the terms of several banks for your down payment.
Legal status as of September 2026. This article is for information only and does not constitute financial or tax advice.
Sources
- KNF, Recommendation S – version amended in June 2023 (recommendations 15.5 and 15.5a).
- Act on the family housing loan and the safe 2% loan – consolidated text, Journal of Laws (Dz.U.) 2024 item 1724 (Articles 3, 4a, 7) and BGK – down payment guarantee.
- Act on employee capital plans – consolidated text, Dz.U. 2026 item 192 (Article 2(1)(38), Article 98).
- Act on inheritance and gift tax – consolidated text, Dz.U. 2026 item 478 (Article 4a, Article 9).
- Act of 25 July 2025 amending the Act on social forms of housing development and certain other acts – Dz.U. 2025 item 1077 (including changes to the housing savings account from 2026).
- Apartment prices: TM Invest development catalogue, Wrocław, as of 26 September 2026.
